Wednesday, September 15, 2010

If A Tree falls in a forest, does it get a 5+?

So as promised, I'm going to run through a bit of what I've learned about Wood Elves in the new edition. I still cannot understand why there are so few WE players. I think it may have to do with the common image of the WE's being tree-huggers or that they're codex is out of date. Those trees are not for hugging, put them to work.

The adjustments to the army organization has granted the Woodies a nice little push. In a 2500 point list, you can easily fit a Highborn (leadership 10) and a level 4. The other hero choices are also incredi-cheap. Before you had to choose between going for that Altered Kindred running around or a strong hero to sit in a unit. Now you don't. I've been practicing with my support charge Eagle riding Highborn. Since lone, mobile heroes are sitting ducks when it comes to missile fire, I have him kitted out with the Shield of Ptolos (+2 save against shooting, plus light armor, plus mounted should make him a +0 against normal fire) and the Brooch (WE item, +3 ward against non-magical). For that extra punch, the Ogre Blade grants +2 strength, 4 attacks at initiative 8. I have been reconsidering the weapon recently. The Dawn Spear might be a better option (cause a wound, the unit is -1 to hit for the combat) because he never goes in alone and Woodies have decent WS. Spellweaver: level 4 definitely and with the Rhymer's Harp. Plug him into a Glade Guard unit, that unit is going to be crazy annoying the entire game.

A BSB is almost required for every army now and WE are no exception. The issue with all Woodies is their survivability. T3 isn't going to keep them in the fight for long. So the re-roll is great for them. I can't bring myself to get a magic banner on the BSB. Armor of Destiny works well to make him stay in there at least a turn longer than normal. The unexpected hero from this section has to be the Branchwraith. Murder of Sprites and Cluster of Radiants gets you a D6 of poison attacks and an additional Dispel Dice. Don't forget that he's also I8 with 4 attacks. Leading a unit of Dryads, he can bring the hurt as a support charge or against a small unit of normal troops.

Glade Guard are the same but definitely require more of them. The always-stand-and-shoot banner is practically required. I've been fielding a large block of 20+ and they consistently work out well. Dryads are not as strong as before but I wouldn't run without them. Grab yourself about a dozen and they'll treat you well if you pick-and-choose your fights. Eternal Guard are an interesting slot here. The Highborn means you can take them as a Core instead of Special. Same cost as the GG, but no bows; +5 armor with additional hand weapons AND spears (weird I know, but their fighting style is cool like that). My 18 block with the BSB in there makes them Stubborn and dishes out a ton of attacks. The Razor Standard gives them a little extra punch which is sadly missing from the unit. If you're not feeling the models, another GG block is probably the way to go. Glade Riders are almost exactly the same as before only not as good.

Treekin Support Charge. That should cover Special Choices.

Kidding, there's a lot of depth in here now. Eagle Riders are almost viable for hunting missions. Wild Riders got dumped on but don't fear, they are incredible at Warmachine hunting. The vanguard move gets them close and since they're movement 9, they should be on top of things early and often. Try them out with the Banner of Swiftness. Now you got a 20" marching unit that can re-form due to Fast-Cav rules, Immune to Psyche, with a ward save against non-magic. My last game saw a unit of 5 take out 5 warmachines from my Empire opponent. Treekin should be in units of 4 or better. A 2x2 square puts out a lot of hurt without taking up much space.

The double eagles are hard to pass up. Way Watchers are having a bit of trouble but marching and chasing a heavy armored unit the whole games is a lot of fun. The Treeman still keeps it real. He can even go toe-to-toe with a Hellpit for a turn or two. Don't forget that the army has Forest Strider. That means the Treeman can move around nicely and has the Tree Singing ability.

At 2500, you should be seeing a sizable army forming. Wood Elves, much like their cousins, are points heavy. The cheapest thing in the army is 12 points a model. I played against a Dark Elf player this last weekend. Great match, even if I was vastly outnumbered. He fielded three big blocks: 40 Corsairs, 25 Black Guard, and I think close to 30 Witch Elves. A unit of 10 Cold Ones, a hydra, small block of archers and regular spear-elves to wrap up. BSB and two casters (lvl 4 and lvl 2) leading the way. I ended up winning but it was a drag out fight. My points left were in the Eternal Guard unit (~240), the Glade Guard (~240), and all three of my heroes (~700), and I had killed his general, taken two banners, and his BSB (add ~200). The remains units he had were the Black Guard and the Witch Elves (~650-ish). So a win, but hard fought. I'll post my list if people are interested.

In summary, I guess Wood Elves didn't change all that much from the way I was playing them before. The re-direct army of the past is now the super-quick army of now. So long as you're not taking a unit in a straight fight, the Wood Elves can do quite well.

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About Me

I started up about two years ago during a very rough time in my life. Now, I play 40K, Fantasy, and Warmachine, and paint voraciously when I have the time for it. Current projects: Grey Knights and Blood Angels!